Sony A9G Sound Set-Up with Sonos Playbase & Comcast xFinity x1 Cable Box

  • 6 December 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 324 views
e1035116

Purchased a new 65” Sony Bravia A9G Master Series…….and I am trying to integrate it with:

  1. Comast Xfinity X1 Cable Box + Remote
  2. Sonos Playbase with Digital Optical Sound Cable

First off, it is a maddening dumpster fire of an effort to understand how to get the Playbase and the Sony TV audio volume to work together either with the Sony remote or the Comcast remote.

The main issue is how to please my demanding wife :smiling_imp: who is roasting me daily (475 degrees until crispy) who wants a single remote to control both audio and cable box that is fully synchronized. 

I don’t how I did it, but I got the Sony remote to control everything on the Comcast cable box EXCEPT for the Sonos Playbase volume. Numerous attempts to pair the Sony remote for Sony TV volume control to the Sonos Playbase failed; however, was able to pair the Comcast remote to the Sonos Playbase. In this scenario, demanding wife has to use two remotes. The volume up/down is with the Comcast remote does not seem to track properly, so you can crank it up and the Sonos stays at same level. Have  noticed when turning down the volume, you cannot turn it back up again (demanding wife berating me about the Sonos boat anchor speaker), and makes me re-enable the TV speakers only. I can no longer control the TV volume with Google Assistant.

I have tried to research posts within the Sonos community; however, nothing works. My failure list below:

  1. Sony remote……tried to pair with Sonos Playbase via the iOS app = FAIL. Would not work period.
  2. Sony remote…...turned off bluetooth in hope IR takes effect with Sonos Playbase = FAIL. Once you turn off bluetooth, nothing worked.
  3. Sony sound configurations in variety of ways = FAIL. Tried numerous recommendations from other Sonos users. Nothing worked.
  4. Moved the HDMI cable from HDMI-1 to HDMI-3 for eARC = FAIL. 
  5. Swapped out optical audio cable = NO CHANGE. Same problem.
  6. Went through the Comcast Xfinity X1 cable box settings and everything is set for 5:1 audio output = NO CHANGE. Same problem
  7. Unplugged and restarted all devices numerous times = NO CHANGE. Same problem.
  8. You can control with the Sonos iOS app; however, demanding wife finds this unacceptable. Can’t say I blame her, so = FAIL.

Posting this in the hope other Sony A9G Bravia Master Series & Sonos Playbase owners find their way here with tips or solutions for me.

More than happy to collaborate with others to solve this vexing problem. Thank you for ready my semi-rant post - can’t help it, have been getting roasted now for three weeks straight!

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3 replies

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @e1035116,

Thanks for reaching out to the Sonos community. I appreciate your detailed post describing the issue as well as the steps that you did. Let me help you with this. Most TV's are compatible with Sonos home theater speakers, some may need additional configuration or may not work with Sonos.

Let me share with you the settings you need to check on your Sony TV. The steps only apply using Optical Digital Audio Out.

  • Check if Digital Audio Out is not muted
  • Press the ACTION MENU button, then select Speakers > Audio system.
  • Within Sound settings, set Headphone/Audio out to Audio out (Fixed).
  • Set Digital audio out the volume to Max.
  • If TV speakers and Hi-Res upscaling (DSEE HX) is set to Auto, Digital Audio Out (Optical) is muted.

​

Note: The Optical Digital Audio Out jacks on Sony TVs are Fixed. When using this type of connection the volume must be controlled by the home theater system or audio receiver; the TV remote control cannot control the sound. To control the sound output with the TV remote control, a composite audio connection should be used instead (if your TV has one). Let me share this thread about Sony remote that might help you out.

After checking the TV settings and still doesn't connect, I recommend reaching out to Sony to check for any TV configuration. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

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e1035116

Thank you for responding Rowena!

You for sure provided valuable and insightful information especially the note regarding Optical Digital Audio Out jacks on Sony TVs are Fixed. I will tinker with settings and post my results later today.

 

 

e1035116

Rowena,

Just a heads up, I wanted to share my Sony A9G audio configuration settings with you. 

Sony Bravia A9G Master Series - Current Audio Settings

 

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